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Hector Acebes: Portraits in Africa,1948-1953

By (author) Isolde Brielmaier, By (author) Ed Marquand

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Photographing with the box camera his father had given him, Hector Acebes noticed as a teenager in the 1930s that his pictures of friends and family were consistently sharper and more carefully composed than those taken by his schoolmates. This innate talent, combined with solid training in engineering and an attraction to adventure, eventually grew into a long and productive career as a documentary and industrial filmmaker. It is Acebes' still photographs from his travels in the late 1940s and early 1950s throughout Africa and South American, however, that may become his most important legacy. With the respect they command for the individuals who appeared before his lens, these recently rediscovered images attest to Acebes' photographic gift. They offer a valuable resource for scholars and students of local societies and cultures in Africa and South America, yet their importance reverberates far beyond the classroom. Today, Acebes' images are recognized as fine art - works of beauty and grace that showcase the photographer's technical ability and masterful compositional skills. Even more evident are the confidence and respect he established with his subjects - qualities that shine through to elevate his work beyond the documentary. Acebes' portraits offer our jaded imaginations a fresh look at people, cultures, and experiences that have changed dramatically over the past fifty years. We see individuals, families, and communities set among monumental architecture, busy markets, and broad landscapes, all viewed from the passionate perspective of a young man, curious and captivated by the vigorous energy and beauty of what he saw. This book presents the exquisite work of Hector Acebes for the first time in monograph form. Over ninety striking images are richly reproduced in duotone. Ed Marquand, director of the Hector Acebes Archive, introduces Acebes in a brief biography. Isolde Brielmaier, a noted art historian of African photography, places Acebes' African work in the context of other photographers shooting in Africa at the time. She also discusses the qualities of Acebes' work that distinguish his photographs today. Hector Acebes is now in his eighties and lives in Bogota, Bolombia.